Build-Your-Own Artisanal Pizza Concept Set to Open in Fremont, Calif. This Summer

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - Apr 9, 2014) - Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza, the leader in the fast-casual build-your-own artisanal pizza category, today announced that it will soon be entering Northern California with six locations set to open over the next nine months. The company's first Northern California location, scheduled to open early this summer, will be in Fremont. Five additional locations in the San Francisco and Sacramento metropolitan areas are also set to open this year and will be announced soon.

The new Fremont Blaze Pizza will be located in The Block at Pacific Commons Shopping Center (43831 Pacific Commons Blvd), near Century Theatres, The Habit Burger and Krispy Kreme. The 120-seat restaurant, with its comfortably hip, urban design, will feature a 2,000+ square-foot dining room, and an additional 550 square-foot outdoor dining space.

Blaze Pizza uses an interactive ordering format that allows guests to customize one of the menu's signature pizzas or create one of their own, choosing from a wide selection of fresh, artisanal ingredients -- all for under $8. The generously sized personal pizzas are then sent to a blazing hot open-flame oven -- the centerpiece of the restaurant -- where dedicated pizzasmiths ensure that the thin-crust pies are "fast-fire'd" in less than 180 seconds. Each restaurant makes its own dough from scratch using a recipe developed by critically-acclaimed Executive Chef Brad Kent ("The Pizza Whisperer"), which requires a 24-hour fermentation period to produce his signature light-as-air, crisp crust. For pizza fans with specific dietary needs, Blaze Pizza offers gluten-free dough and vegan cheese. The restaurant will also offer online ordering, house-made S'more Pies and a selection of wine and craft beer.

Dedicated to the simple idea of making artisanal pizzas both fast and affordable, Blaze Pizza is quickly becoming a national brand, with individual locations serving upwards of 800 to 1,000+ built-to-order pizzas on a busy day.

"By using fresh ingredients and cooking with fire, we're bringing pizza back to its roots," said Jim Mizes, president and COO of Blaze Pizza. "We're looking forward to offering local residents artisanal fast-fire'd pizzas in the time it usually takes to reheat a slice."

The Fremont restaurant will be operated by Baker Boys Consulting, Inc., a franchise group led by Jason Baker and Jeff Baker. The Bakers currently operate more than 30 nationally branded quick service restaurants throughout California.

About Blaze PizzaFounded in 2011 by Elise and Rick Wetzel (co-founder of Wetzel's Pretzels), the concept is backed by investors including LeBron James, Maria Shriver, Boston Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner and movie producer John Davis, and includes the talents of highly acclaimed Executive Chef Bradford Kent, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. Blaze Pizza currently operates restaurants in Southern California, Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit and Milwaukee. The company, which has been featured by MSNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Good Morning America, has a pipeline of nearly 250 restaurants being developed by 24 seasoned multi-unit franchisees. This year, Blaze Pizza plans to expand into 20 new markets including San Francisco, New York, Boston, Dallas, Miami and Washington DC. For more information, please visit www.blazepizza.com or www.facebook.com/blazepizza.